Richard Linklater’s “Before” series is probably the most unlikeliest of trilogies. Starting in 1995, “Before Sunrise” was a lovely movie about love at first sight and a day adventure with two strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) as they got to know each other and had interesting—and somewhat pretentious—conversation. It (continued…)
Filmmakers love the listless, amorphous depression that seems to coat the American suburbs and their hapless residents. It’s laid on thick in the opening scene of Julian Farino’s feature film debut “The Oranges,” as Vanessa Walling (Alia Shawkat), poses the film’s driving conflict in an ironic Daria monotone: “The question (continued…)
In “Ruby Sparks,” Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) had the misfortune of being a child prodigy. At a tender young age, he published a towering work of fiction akin to “Catcher in the Rye,” and ever since then, he has had to grapple with crippling writer’s block, social anxiety and girls (continued…)
Documentary · Featured · Indie · Meets Obsession · Music · SILVERDOCS
Photo Credit: Ninfa Z. Bito You’ve got to hand it to Neal Schon, he really knows ‘em when he sees ‘em. When the longtime Journey guitarist was desperately searching for a new singer for his legendary band, he knew he struck gold the moment he came across a Youtube video of a (continued…)
Upon exiting the theater, I heard a lot of talk about clichés and conventions. Yes, there were elements of “Lola Versus” — the bold, new romantic comedy written and directed by filmmaking duo Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones — that were a little cliché. Yet clichés exist for their kernels (continued…)
Comedy · Drama · Indie · Romance
At this point in his career, the most common criticism you’ll hear about Wes Anderson is that he’s become a parody of himself. With the too-bizarre-too-take-seriously “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and the underwhelming “Darjeeling Limited” (the adorably kitschy stop-motion menagerie “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” notwithstanding), it’s a hard (continued…)
Comedy · Drama · Foreign · Indie
“The Intouchables” is something of a phenomenon in its native country. Smashing box office records in France and across Europe, this truly touching film made me laugh, cry, think about the meaning of life, and develop a pretty huge crush on French film star, Omar Sy. But, with sudden popularity (continued…)
Comedy · Drama · Foreign · Indie · Romance
Teenage boys are horny. An obvious notion that’s been cinema’s long time obsession through a seemingly endless—and in most cases superfluous—supply of both raunchy and indie male-centric coming-of-age films. Particularly in the last decade. Which makes it all the more refreshing to see Norwegian writer/director Jannicke Systad Jacobsen’s “Turn Me (continued…)
Comedy · Drama · Indie · Romance
The mostly true story of the invention of the vibrator, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy, is a pleasant romp through Victorian gynecology and sexual mores. It has a few laughs, many cringes, and generally affirms the notion that no matter how bad things are today, they are most certainly (continued…)
Drama · Horror · Indie · Tribeca Film Festival
Celeb Sightings: So it turns out Dakota Fanning is actually 18, and a freshman at NYU, which would explain why she’s allowed to see all these sexually explicit indie movies. This doesn’t, however, explain why she liked the abysmal lesbian werewolf love story, “Jack and Diane,” but she and Patricia (continued…)
Drama · Foreign · Indie · Tribeca Film Festival
Celeb Sightings: “Mad Men’s” Rich Sommer hanging out early in the press lounge, eating an ice cream bar before Malin Akerman, Topher Grace and Chris Messina came in to join the party. Topher appropriate greeted the trio with a double-fisted “rock and roll” gesture. Still can’t let go of the (continued…)
Comedy · Drama · Foreign · Indie · Tribeca Film Festival
Photo Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival Celeb Sightings: Walking down the street, playing on my phone, I looked up and realized that I was walking next to Patricia Clarkson (who was also playing on her phone). Also, Dakota Fanning was in my screening of “First Winter,” which is surprising because (continued…)
Comedy · Documentary · Drama · Film Festivals · Foreign · Indie · Tribeca Film Festival
Photo Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival[divider] Tribeca is an interesting festival. It boasts a plethora of high-profile star attendance (this year’s jury for competition films includes Rosario Dawson, Patricia Clarkson, Hugh Dancy, Dakota Fanning, Whoopie Goldberg, Olivia Wilde, Brett Ratner, and Susan Sarandon, among others. Robert De Niro and Judd (continued…)
Comedy · Conversations · Featured · Indie
Photo: Sergio Teran Baldizon for Meets Obsession Magazine [divider] Since the release of 1990’s “Metropolitan,” a scathing satire of an elite group of twentysomething socialites, or the “urban haute bourgeoisie,” writer/director Whit Stillman has become something of an arthouse icon. The film, which also garnered Stillman an Academy Award for “Best (continued…)
It’s a tale as old as time, at least in terms of the modern horror film: A lone woman trapped in an eerie house, being pursued by intruders, ghouls, or some other unknown horror with malicious intentions in mind. Indeed, throughout the history of horror cinema, the ‘haunted house’ sub-genre (continued…)
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